•January 22, 2020•
By Kevin Gaither,
Candidate for U.S. Congress, 15th District

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and its derivatives (cannabis) in 21 states, including Illinois. Under the Bill hemp farmers will be eligible for a new crop insurance pilot program as well as loans. Veterans in Illinois can now use loans from the G.I. Bill to start hemp farms.
Industrial hemp growing in the U.S. has been stymied for years because of the perception of hemp as marijuana. They are, in fact, different strains of the same species with hemp having far less THC. That can all change now with the legalization of cannabis in Illinois.
I see hemp as a viable and more easily marketable crop for Illinois farmers.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.